Young Law and Luffy's Problem
by TheWomanWithAMessedUpMind
Summary: Bonney accidentally changed Law back to his seventeen-year-old self. That puts a damper on his plans. Not to mention, he's alone and on the run from Eustass Kid. He bumps into some of Luffy's crew before leaving the island. Then, he meets up with them again. They have an experiment they want to try because Luffy had been depressed lately. What will happen? How will it go? M/M Yaoi
1. 17Again

**17...Again**

"What the hell, Bonney-ya?!" Law was beyond pissed. He couldn't believe what the woman had done to him. He wanted to throttle her neck with his own, bare hands. He wanted to cut her up and hide the pieces all over the world so that they would never be found. He was very close to it, too.

In front of Law, Bonney stood with her hands in the air. Her defensive position did nothing to make him any less furious at her. "L-Law, please calm down. It's...It's not that bad." She knew it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well as him. She ducked as a tea cup shattered on the wall right where he head had just been.

The man was huffing with rage. "I want to be back to normal! Fix me! Right fucking now!" He didn't want to stay in the form she had 'accidentally' put him in.

"I...I can't. It has to wear off." She dodged a chair. It shattered as it collided with the wall. She wasn't surprised at the strength he possessed. Bonney had set his age to about seventeen, or somewhere around there. It was by pure accident. She just touched him, and he changed. It was nice, though, to see him shorter than his normal height and his shirt slightly falling off of one shoulder.

"Then what am I supposed to do?! I can't walk around town like this!" Bonney had immediately brought him to an inn room to keep people from getting in on their conversation. It was worse because law didn't have his crew with him. Just his nodachi and his powers.

Thinking quickly, Bonney approached Law. She slipped a pair of sea prism stone cuffs from her jacket pocket and snapped one side onto Law's wrist. His eyes widened as she attached the other side to the bedframe. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to go into town for a bit."

The woman left the room without staying to hear Law had to say and chained to the bed. Alone. He felt as if she was going to make him do something he would regret and would humiliate him. Law decided to sit on the bed as he waited for the nutcase to come back.

About ten minutes later, Bonney returned to the room with a bag of what looked like clothes over her shoulder. She looked exhausted and a little nervous. "I brought you some clothes that will probably fit you better," she announced. Bonney dropped the bag next to the bed. "They're all similar to what you usually wear."

Unlocking the cuff on Law's wrist, Bonney wasn't ready for Law to grab her by the throat. "Bonney-ya, I have calmed down a considerable amount from my initial anger." He never tightened his grip nor dangled her off the floor. He just left his hand there as a threat and for fear. "Thank you for getting me some different clothes." He let her neck go after a moment of silence. Then, he turned to the bag of clothes and started to go through it. "Just how long will I be like this?"

"To be honest, about two or three weeks." Law groaned. He wanted to crawl under a rock and die. "And I would be careful, if I were you." Law turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "The Straw Hats are here along with the Kid Pirates," she informed. Today was just not his day.

Picking out a black hoodie and a pair of black and white spotted jeans, Law changed his larger clothes for the smaller ones. He put the others in the bag to hide them. Law sat back down on the bed. He looked at the sun for a moment through the window. Taking off his hat to scratch his head, Law watched as Bonney paced the room like something was bothering her.

Law put his hat in the bag along with his nodachi. Getting off the bed, he wanted to leave. "Thanks for the information, Bonney-ya. I have to get going, though." The woman looked worried for him. An expression he hardly ever saw on her face. He went up to her with the bag over his shoulder. Law bowed to her before leaving the room and the inn all together.

Keeping an eye out for both crew, Law was glad he had taken his hat off and replaced it with the hood of the hoodie. He was thankful that the hoodie didn't have his symbol on the front like his own. Law was headed for the docks for his small rowboat. He had told his crew that he wanted some alone time. They had, reluctantly, agreed and stopped on an island. Law had left them and set out on his own.

Shouting got him to loo at the town square. Kid and Luffy were arguing loudly with each other. Law pushed into the crowd to see what was going on between them. They weren't fighting just yet, but it was quickly escalating to that. He stopped beside a woman. "Take that back, you hot head!" Luffy shouted in Kid's face.

"Then take back what you said, rubber dick!" Law wanted to laugh at the use of names they gave each other. He hadn't seen either one of the men in about a year or so. That was after the fight with Kaido. He heard the woman next to him giggle.

Turning to the woman, Law decided to ask her what was happening. "Excuse me, ma'am." She turned to him. "Do you know what those two are fighting about?" The woman looked very familiar. She had orange hair, brown eyes, and lightly tan skin.

"Oh. They're fighting over a friend of ours." Her voice made him realize who she actually was. It was Nami. His face went pale and he made sure that his face was hidden in the hood. "They've been at it for a good thirty minutes now."

Nodding, Law decided that it would be best for him to leave while he could without getting caught. He turned to leave but was held back by Nami. She had a hand on his shoulder that didn't have the pack on it. "Do you need something, ma'am?" He was nervous that she probably knew who he was.

"Don't you want to stick around to see the fight? It's about to happen." She pointed to the two in the center right as Luffy threw the first punch. He wanted to stay to see how it ended but that might've been long enough for someone to recognize him.

"I'm very sorry, but I have other things to do." He politely shrugged her hand off his shoulder. Law was glad that he had also picked out a pair of fingerless gloves. They covered just enough to hid his tattoos on his fingers. Nami didn't stop him from leaving again but gave him a look that said she was suspicious of him.

Quickly exiting the crowd, Law felt better now that he didn't have her scrutinizing him. He let out a sigh as he went back in the direction of the docks. He was, again, stopped by someone by accidentally running into them. Both of them fell to the ground.

"Hey. Watch where you're going," the man said as he got up. Law looked up to see that it was Zoro who he had collided with. His blood ran cold.

"S-Sorry. I was...I was distracted." He got back to his feet and noticed that he was slightly shorter than the other man. Zoro was about three or four inches taller than him.

"It's fine, I guess." Zoro took a look around the place. "Do you know where the town square is?" Law nodded as he dusted himself off.

"You go straight down this road, then take a left. Keep going straight and you should see a crowd of people watching a fight." Zoro thanked him before patting him on the shoulder. Law thought it was weird. _I hope I don't run into any more of Straw Hat-ya's crew._

Taking a turn at a corner of a bakery, Law ran into one of Kid's crewmates. He didn't even look up at them to see who it was and just kept on going. He was afraid of being found out. He wanted to get to his boat as quickly as he could. Law sighed again as he continued on.

Walking by someone, Law noticed that it was Chopper but didn't acknowledge him. He didn't hear him stop just a little ways away. "L-Law?" He almost froze but just forced himself to keep going as if he hadn't heard him. "Law?" He heard Chopper trying to catch up with him.

All of a sudden, the reindeer was in front of him. "Torao." Law topped and raised his head to look at him. The other seemed surprised and confused for a moment. "Law, is that really you?" Grabbing Chopper's arm, Law led him to an empty alley.

"Please, don't tell anyone I'm here," he whispered. He was worried and looked out the entrance of the alley.

"Why? What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" Chopper kept his voice down like Law.

"Eustass-ya is here fighting Straw Hat-ya." Chopper's eyes grew large. Law didn't blame him. He had been surprised to know that they were fighting, too.

"Why do you look so young? What happened to you?" Law understood his confusion. Knowing the guy, he knew that his looks were extremely different than the last time he saw him.

"Do you remember a woman named Jewelry Bonney from Sabaody three years ago?" He watched Chopper think it over for a moment before he nodded. "She changed me back to around seventeen. Please, don't tell anyone I'm here. I don't want anyone to know."

"Okay. I won't." He looked out the opening of the alley once again. Law was nervous. "Luffy has been missing you. He's been a little depressed without you." Chopper's face fell. "Anything you did with him and he goes to do now makes him lose interest in right away." Law felt bad to hear that. "Why do you want me to keep quiet about you being here?"

"Eustass-ya has been looking for me for a while now. I don't think his intentions are anywhere near...kind." Chopper looked even more worried than before. Law smiled at him to reassure him. "Tell Straw Hat-ya that I said hello when you get back to him." Chopper nodded in agreement as Law left the alley.

Sighing once again, Law quickened his pace to the docks. He got there in less than five minutes. Law was glad to see his small boat still attached to the docks. He boarded it and untied the rope from the dock. He wasn't surprised to see the Thousand Sunny or Kid's ship docked there.

He watched as the sun set lower into the sky. It was almost dark out. Pressing a button on the boat, a passage opened in the bottom of the boat. It held his things that he was carrying. Law placed the bag inside and closed it back. He watched the water around him. It was relaxing to watch the waves roll under the boat.

Sleep was slowly calling to him. He glanced across the way to the town. Luffy's ship was still there but he saw a few of the members standing in the dim light of the sunset on the ship. He smiled at the memories of the crew. Law missed them so much. He laid down and closed his eyes. _I hope Straw Hat-ya and the others are okay, _was the last thought that crossed his mind before he fell into a peaceful slumber.

**I know. It's a new story. Just...came to mind. Please don't hate me for making a new one. To be honest, I like Luffy and Law being together. They're cute. They kind of remind me of a married couple. Law is the level-headed, logical one of the two. Luffy is the goofy, fun-loving one. They fit well together. Well, tell me what you think. Have a marvelous day. Tatty-bye!**


	2. Joining Them Again and the Plan

**Joining Them Again and the Plan**

The sound of shouting awoke Law from his peaceful slumber. He, slowly, opened his eyes to the glaring sun. He shielded his eyes with his right arm and rubbed at them with his left. "Hey! Are you okay down there?!" He continued to rub at his eyes to try to wake up some more. "Hey! Are you okay?!"

"Yes. I'm fine," Law called back to the person as he took in his surroundings. He looked up to see the Thousand Sunny next to his tiny boat. He groaned as he sat up and cracked his back. "I'll be alright. I was just resting."

"Hey, Luffy. Who are you shouting at?" Law knew that voice belonged to Sanji. He tensed up for just a moment. Law saw the man appear over the side of the ship. "Hey. Are you stranded?" Law was used to their friendliness by then.

"No. I'm just traveling," Law replied. He was thankful that his voice was a little higher like it was when he was seventeen. "Thank you for your concern, though." He sat in his boat and stretched.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" Sanji asked. Law wasn't all that worried about them finding out it was him. He was happy that they were nice to him. Law was just thankful that they weren't Kid.

"Sure. I'll come up." Law stood and two ropes were thrown down to him. He tied them to his boat. It was lifted and Law was facing the crew. His hood was still up. "Thank you for inviting me for breakfast," he said. He pulled the hood down and everyone smiled to him. Luffy's reaction was different, though.

"T-Torao?!" Law was expecting Luffy to recognize him. The others looked confused, expect for Chopper. "Is it really you?! What happened to you?!"

Nami came up to Law. "How can this be him, Luffy? He's a little too young to be Law. And too short." She examined him. Nami stepped back from him with recognition. "You're the guy from the fight."

"Yes, Nami-ya. I was there when the fight started." She gasped. "And to answer your other question, I'm younger because of Bonney-ya." Robin stepped forward.

"From Sabaody, right?" Law nodded. He was still angry with the woman.

"As of right now, my body is about seventeen-years-old." Usopp stepped forward. He circled Law.

"How do we know you're really Law? You could be a spy or an assassin." Sighing, Law made a room. He switched himself with Luffy.

"Does that convince you that I am who I am?" The curly-haired man grumbled before going to stand next to Franky. He didn't look very happy about what happened. Law almost wanted to laugh at his actions.

"Where's your crew? Why are you traveling alone?" Brook asked. Law felt that it was a little strange that his crew wasn't with him.

"I wanted to go off on my own for a little while." He didn't want to tell anyone the truth. Law was keeping them safe from kid by traveling by himself. "It gives them some time to do whatever they want and whatever I want."

"Like a vacation?" Luffy asked. Law nodded. It was sort of like a vacation.

"Why did you not come say hello when we were on the island?" Franky asked. Luffy was looking at him, expecting an answer that was reasonable to him.

Chopper decided to step in and answer. "Law spoke to me before we left." Luffy looked pissed off about knowing that. "He didn't want Kid to see him. He had a bad run in with him a while ago." Luffy's anger quickly changed to relief.

"Eustass-ya and I had a...disagreement." Law crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to see him again." He saw the crew give him a look of sorrow. "And if I would've been found out by Eustass-ya, it would've started up a small war on the island. I didn't want innocent people to get hurt."

"Would you like to travel with us for a bit? Just until you get back to normal?" Nami asked. Law thought it over for a minute or so. _If I stay with them, I will have protection from Eustass-ya. But if I stay with them, I will have to deal with Straw Hat-ya._

"Alright. I will stay with you until I'm back to normal." Luffy cheered while the others smiled. It was better option than being alone and getting caught by Kid. Zoro and Sanji were eyeing him. The looks were making him a little uncomfortable. "Are the Captain's quarters still open?"

Nami nodded. "Yep. Luffy didn't want any of us touching it." Law felt a little glad but also a little creeped out about his friend.

"Torao! We're going to have so much fun together! Just like when you were with us before!" Luffy's eagerness was a little embarrassing. Law wasn't a fun person to be around most of the time. He never understood Luffy's interest in him.

Zoro walked up to him with Sanji right behind him. The swordsman grabbed him by his left arm. "Luffy, we're going to borrow him for a minute or so, okay? We'll be quick about it." Law felt fear grip him as he spoke.

Luffy started to pout a little. "Okay. Just make it as quick as you can. I want to spend some time with him." Zoro nodded and started to lead Law to the kitchen with Sanji in tow. No one was in the kitchen. It was only Law, Sanji, and Zoro. The man let him go after he got him to sit down at the table.

"May I ask why the both of you decided to bring me here?" Law was a little worried that they didn't like him or had a problem with him. He didn't want to get on their bad side. Also, he didn't remember them having a problem with him before.

"Listen, Law. Luffy has been having a hard time since you left the group," Sanji started as he lit a cigarette. "He has been picking fights with Pirates all over the Grand Line for no reason."

Zoro sat down across from him. "Some of time, he wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to the room you stayed in." The man talked with a straight face, but his words were filled with worry for his Captain. "He wouldn't tell anyone what was wrong, and he attacked anyone who even came close to the room."

To say Law was surprised out be a big understated. He was flabbergasted. "Does anyone know why he was acting that way? Are there any ideas?" He wondered if Luffy was okay. The two men shared a look between themselves.

"Yes and no. We can't really tell you right now," Sanji answered. Law raised an eyebrow at the answer he got. "Let's just say that we are going to try an experiment. Luffy is our guinea pig and you're a factor."

"Do the others know about this experiment?" Law felt a little bad for what they had planned for the younger Captain.

"We have been discussing and decided to meet up with you for a while now to try it out," Zoro explained. "The others will be helping us." The man lowered his head. "We're going to make you disappear for a while every so often." The plan sounded very weird to him.

"We will observe the reaction of our Captain while you're gone." Sanji blew out some smoke as he spoke. "Don't worry. You will still be on the ship but hidden from Luffy's view." Law thought it through.

"Will I be able to observe his reaction as well?" Zoro shrugged while Sanji nodded. "Okay then. When will we start this...experiment?"

"How about tomorrow? We will let Luffy get used to you being here again before we start the project." Law nodded in agreement. He was interested in seeing the man's reactions to him not being there.

Nodding, Zoro left the kitchen and Sanji went over to the sink. Law left right behind Zoro. He wasn't used to being shorter than most of the crew. As soon as he left the kitchen, Law was pulled up by two arms. Zoro didn't seem to notice what happened. "Torao! That was a looong talk. What di you all talk about?" Luffy was dangling from the top deck.

"Nothing really important," he answered. Law looked down to see that he was dangling about a foot or so off the ground. He looked back up to the smiling face above him. "What do you want to do, Straw Hat-ya?" He knew he needed to be around him the entire day for the experiment to work properly.

"Sanji's going to be cooking breakfast in a bit. What do you want to do?" Law thought for a moment. "Do you want to go read in the infirmary? Chopper got some new books a little while ago." Law perked up at that.

"Are you really okay with that?" Luffy grinned and nodded. "You can stay with me if you want to." Luffy agreed and lowered Law to the ground. He followed him inside to the infirmary.

Chopper was there and he knew what Law was there for. He handed him all the new books that he had gotten. It was about a stack of ten books. "They're good reads. I have read only a few of them, but they are good nonetheless."

Taking the stack, Law went over to the desk and sat down. Luffy crawled under it and laid his head down in Law's lap. The man ignored him as he started to flip through the pages of a book on medicines for new illnesses. He was interested in the new diseases that have appeared in the past decade.

"Torao?" Law took his eyes from the book for a second to glance down to Luffy. "What have you been doing in the past year we've been apart?"

"I've been traveling all throughout the Grand Line helping sick people amongst other things." Law finished reading the page and flipped it. "What have you been doing? Aside from searching for the One Piece, of course?"

He felt Luffy tracing circle on his right thigh. It felt a little weird, but Law didn't tell him to stop. "We've been helping others that have troubles. Nami has been building up her money and Sanji has a new admirer on some island we visited a few days ago." Law chuckled. "I've been doing okay, I guess."

"It sounds like you all have been doing a lot since I've been gone," Law stated. Luffy nodded and Law went back to reading. He could still feel Luffy drawing patterns on his thigh with his fingers. It was relaxing, but at the same time, strange.

...

After a while, Sanji came into he room. "Hey, Law. Have you seen Luffy anywhere? I can't seem to find him in his usual spots." Law pointed to the table and moved a little bit. Luffy waved a hand at him from underneath the desk.

"Did you need something, Sanji?" Luffy asked as he stayed under the desk and in between Law's legs.

"Breakfast's ready," Sanji answered. Luffy dashed out from under the desk to the door in a split second with his arm around Law. Sanji smiled at his eagerness and Law's expression of surprise at the other's actions.

In the kitchen, everyone was seated in their usual spots around the table. Law sat right next to Luffy because he made him. "It's good to have you eating with us again," Robin said after he sat down. Luffy had let him go as they sat down.

"Feels just like old times." Law had a plate placed in front of him. It had everything but bread on it. He looked up at Sanji who gave him a kind smile.

Luffy looked excited to eat. Like every time he saw him eat. Everyone ate like it was normal. It felt different to be eating with the Straw Hats again after a year of being away. Luffy didn't try to steal his food and Law ate everything on his plate which was new to the others.

"Law, you ate everything. That's new," Nami commented as she continued eating. He had just finished his food a few minutes ago. He looked down at his clean plate.

"Since I have my seventeen-year-old body back, my appetite was big at the time." The crew seemed to be surprised by that. Luffy just grinned. Law got another helping of food and ate it all once again. He was stuffed after a bit and decided to go back to the infirmary to continue reading. Luffy followed him.

In the infirmary, Law felt a tap on his arm. He turned away from his book to see Chopper looking up at him, nervously. "May I help you, Tony-ya?" He felt Luffy grip his leg as he turned his body a little to the reindeer.

"I want to do a physical on you to see if you are okay. Is that alright with you?" Law nodded and felt Luffy let him go as he stood up.

Moving to a bed, Chopper started with his basics. He cheeked his heartbeat, lungs, ears, and all the other things. Luffy stood next to Chopper as he worked. "Do you feel any different than you did before you were changed?"

"No. It's just a little different to be shorter than most people again." Chopper nodded as he stepped back. "I feel fine. Even great." He was glad to know that he was still healthy.

"So, he's all good?" Luffy asked. Chopper told him that Law was perfectly healthy. This excited the man. "Torao is healthy!" he chanted a few times. Law was happy with the young man's enthusiasm. It was just like his old self.

"I hope it stays that way." Chopper looked concerned for him. He wasn't sure about the side effects of Bonney's powers other than on herself. Law was certain that nothing bad could happen, could it? "I will keep an eye on you until you are back to normal." Law thought it was a good idea.

Getting off the bed, Law walked up to Luffy. "What do you want to do?" He knew that Luffy didn't want to just watch Law read all day. Law had some energy he could burn off, anyway.

"Let's go fishing. Sanji said that we need more fish." Law agreed and followed Luffy to the deck. They got fishing poles and started to fish. They caught tons of fish and everyone was happy with that. Sanji made grilled fish for dinner and Law ate four helpings of it. The crew was astonished at his appetite. It was something they were going to have to get used to with him being back in his seventeen body.

When night came around, Law trudged to his room. They said it was the same as when he had left. Getting to it, Law was surprised that it was exactly the same as he left it. Seeing the bed, he almost jumped on it in joy. He was tired. Luffy had worn him out that day. They ran around and played games. Luffy seemed so happy that he was back. He agreed with everything that the kid had wanted to do. It was exhausting even with his younger body. Law laid down and closed his eyes. He was worried about what would happen tomorrow. He fell asleep a few minutes later.

**Hope you all are enjoying it. Let me know what you think. I love you all very, very much. Have a glorious day. Tatty-bye!**


	3. Explanation of the Plan and Memory

**Explanation of the Plan and Memory**

The feeling of something wrapped around his body aroused Law from his peaceful, dreamless slumber. Slowly, he blinked his eyes to wake up a little. He wasn't surprised to find that he was in his room on the Thousand Sunny. Law remembered all the events from the day and night before.

Turning over as much as he could with the object wrapped around him, Law almost screamed in surprise when he came face-to-face with a sleeping, loudly snoring Luffy. He was even drooling a little. All Law did was stare at him for what felt like hours before doing anything.

Law decided that he wanted to get up. As carefully as he could, he removed Luffy's arms and legs from around his body. It was a hassle, but he got it done, nonetheless. Luffy stirred a bit but didn't wake. He was thankful for that.

When he was free from him, Law quietly made his way out of the room. He didn't want to wake Luffy up. He had to ask the crew a few questions about how the experiment was going to work, where he was going to be hidden, and how long they intended for him to disappear.

He decided to see if all eight were in the kitchen. Starting the wall to the room, he started to think about the last encounter his crew had with Kid. It hadn't been a pleasant meeting and a few of his crew members had been rushed to the infirmary by the end of it. Not good at all. He had stayed out of sight.

Arriving at the room, he was thankful that all of them were in the room. All except for their Captain. "Law," Nami said as she motioned for him to come and sit at the table with them. He came and sat down beside her. "We were just about to come to wake you up."

"I don't think that would've been a good idea," he replied.

"Why?" Zoro asked. He was on the other side of the woman.

"Because Straw Hat-ya was in the bed with me."

"Good point," Usopp answered. The others agreed with nods. He understood that he didn't want the other up yet.

"So, are you ready to start our experiment?" Sanji asked as he blew out some smoke.

"Yeah. But I have some questions before we start it."

"We will answer them as best as we can," Robin said. It was nice to know that he could trust them.

"First question: how is this going to go? Can you explain it more to me?"

"Well, we want to hide you at random points during the day. Luffy has been acting exceedingly strange since we split ways a year ago," Chopper started. "He's been really depressed and not many things can make him happy or lift his spirits. He also picks fights with other Pirates for seemingly no reason." Law nodded in understanding. "Now that you're back, he's acting almost normal. We want to see if his depression and anger were because he was missing you."

"I see. That's why you want me to disappear." The blue-nosed reindeer nodded. "Okay. Second question: where will I be hiding from him? Are there certain areas or places that I'll be in that I can observe him as well?"

"That's easy," Franky said with a grin. "Without Luffy knowing, I've been modifying the ship. I built hidden areas all over the ship. There's a few in the kitchen, about two or three in the bathroom, four in the aquarium bar, ten or so on the deck, and a good bit more in other places all over the ship." He was astonished to know about them. "You will be able to see how he reacts. So, don't worry about that."

"Can you show me where they are?" Law asked.

"We will when it comes time for us to hide you," Brook answered.

"And my third question: how long will I be in hiding?" That made them look between each other. "Did you guys not think about that?"

"No. We did," Nami responded. "It's just...We can't decide on doing it for an hour or two hours."

"I can do it for two." He shrugged. "Better for it to go on for a longer time. The longer I'm 'missing', the more we can see how he reacts to it."

"That's a really good point," Usopp announced. Law was thankful that they agreed with him without any problems. "So, when he gets up, we'll start the experiment."

"Got it." Law's stomach growled. He was hungry.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Sanji told them. After that, they all dispersed to do whatever they wanted to do. Law decided to stay at the kitchen table.

"Black leg-ya?" He wanted to ask Sanji a few questions on how Luffy behaved the day before.

"Yeah?" The cook was gathering ingredients together to start cooking.

"Do you know why Straw Hat-ya has missed me? It's not like I was ever a part of the crew. I just stayed with you guys for a bit." Sanji stopped moving around to look at him. He sighed. Law wondered if it was because he didn't know how to tell him or some other reason.

"To be honest, we all missed you." That stupefied him. _What? They all missed me?_

"Why? I didn't do much while I was here. I just read a lot and did very few things with anyone." Law was trying to figure out why they would miss him. It confused him.

"You say that, but didn't you save us when we were at Dressrosa?" Law opened his mouth but Sanji cut him off. "You saved me when Doflamingo almost killed me, you told us to take Caesar and Momonosuke and leave for Zou, during that time, you kept Doflamingo off of us while we were able to escape, you protected Luffy when he was trying to regain his Haki, you helped the others take care of Zunesha when she got hurt, and you helped us with Kaido." Law's face went red at all of his praise. "You're a great friend of ours because you helped us. We helped you to return the favor."

"I...I understand." He looked away from the man, face still bright red. Law was a little uncomfortable about the conversation he just had with him.

"So, we missed seeing you." Sanji went back to cooking. "We haven't heard anything from you for about a year. Of course, it upset us because it was like you and your crew dropped off the face of the planet."

"I...I know." Law remembered why he dropped off the face of the earth. He hadn't even done anything he normally did other than treating people.

...

_**"Captain, are you going to be okay?" Bepo asked in an extremely worried voice. Law was coughing up blood as he laid in his bed.**_

_**"I'm...*cough*...I'll be f-f-fine," Law tried to reassure him. Almost all of his crew members were in his room. It was to the point that they were trying to shove each other out of the way to see him.**_

_**Law...didn't look so good. At all. He was covered in bloody bandages, coughing up blood, and couldn't move all that well if at all. It hurt all over. He was in agony. The bed was even painful to lay on. This was not looking good for him.**_

_**"We...We're...We're underw-water...r-right?" he asked. Law was even wheezing as he breathed through his mouth. It was excruciating every time he breathed in. His lungs felt like they were on fire.**_

_**"Yeah," Penguin answered. You could tell that he was on the verge of tears. All of them were. "C-Cap'in...can you tell us what the hell happened to you? You look..."**_

_**Law tried to laugh. It just turned to bouts of coughing fits and more blood coming out. "Don't do that," Bepo chastised him while wiping the blood away with a clean, white rag. Law tried to calm himself down enough to talk again.**_

_**"I l-look like...sh-shit," he replied. He tried to move his arm to a more comfortable position. Law flinched and had to grit his teeth together to keep in the scream that threatened to escape him. He decided to lay his broken, battered, and bandaged arm on his stomach.**_

_**"You didn't answer Penguin," Shachi spoke up. He sounded in near tears just like Penguin. "What happened to you? How did you get like this?" All twenty were waiting for him to answer them. It wasn't a good moment for him. He was worrying his friends and they didn't know how to help him.**_

_**He held up his better hand. After a second, he placed it on his face. It was battered but not as bad as the other one. Tears started to pour from his eyes as he covered his face so that they wouldn't see.**_

_**Bepo ushered the others out. Law knew that the other was trying to keep him from looking weak in front of the rest of them. Law only cried in front of his best friend and navigator. "Law..." He slowly removed his hand to look at him. "What happened? Please, tell me what happened to you. The bear pulled up a chair before grabbing his good hand to hold.**_

_**"E-Eu-Eustass-ya..." Law said the name with venom and terror mixed together. He turned his head away from Bepo. Law wanted to move his right leg but couldn't. For one, it was in a sling, and second, was because it was broken. He wouldn't be able to move it for a while.**_

_**"What happened between you two? Why did he do this to you?" Bepo asked the questions as he brought his hand to his face and started to rub his face on the back of it. Tears were already escaping his eyes as he continued to caress his hand with the side of his face.**_

_**"B-Be-Because..." Law remembered what had transpired just a few hours before. It made a shudder of fear run down his spine. "I re-rejected him," he confessed.**_

_**The guy had told him that he loved him and tried to make a move on him. Law had openly rejected him and told Kid that he didn't like him like that. The younger Captain got pissy and demanded why Law didn't like him like that and if there was someone else.**_

_**Law had been dumbfounded when Kid had asked him if he liked someone else. He denied it because it was the truth. Law didn't like anyone at that time. Before he knew it, Kid had roared at him as he rushed him. And thus, he beat him into the state he was in. The memories made his body hurt even more. The bad thing was that Kid had produced a sea stone necklace and forced it around his neck before he ever started. He had no way to fight back and couldn't even muster enough energy to call for help.**_

_**When the man had stopped his onslaught, Law could hardly breathe, couldn't move at all, and was going in and out of consciousness. Kid stood over him with anger that quickly turned to a ninja-like calm. Law would never forget the words that Kid spoke to him before leaving him for dead. That was why he feared him.**_

_**"I will be back for you. Your answer will be yes, or I will kidnap you and rape you until you submit to being mine." And with those words, Kid ripped the necklace off of him before he left the ship to go back to his.**_

_**He had started to cry as he stayed where he had been. Law couldn't move because the pain had been too much and he couldn't summon enough energy to call out for help. It took his crew a while to figure out that something wasn't right. They came out and found him.**_

_**That was how he found himself in the situation he was in. All bandaged up and broken. Bepo nodded in understanding. The bear stayed next to him as he cried even more about his situation.**_

...

"I had a small...accident...close to a year ago," Law conceded. "I left my crew after a bit before traveling on my own." Sanji nodded.

"What kind of accident?" Law stiffened. He didn't want to tell anyone else the truth. Only Bepo knew what had happened. He would be damned if he told another soul about it.

"N-Nothing too important. it's in the past." The man gave him a confused expression as he looked up from his work. "Don't worry about it. It's done and over with. Nothing really to worry about."

"Okay. If you say so." That was when Luffy burst into the room.

"Torao! How long have you been up?" Luffy asked as he came to sit next to him at the table. Law sighed as the other sat down.

"I've been up for a bit. I didn't want to wake you up because I didn't feel like it." Luffy nodded as he smiled at him.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay." Law raised an eyebrow. _Why would he think that I might not be okay? Is there something going on with his mind?_

"Good to see you're alright," Law replied. Luffy laughed. He knew that he would disappear at some point during the day. He would have to be ready for that time when it came. He didn't know if he would be ready if they don't tell him before they hide him.

**Ta-da. Here you all go. I'm glad to see that so many people like it. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter. I am very happy that you all are enjoying it. Have a magnificant day. Tatty-bye!**


	4. Admirers and First Disappearance

**Admirers and First Disappearance**

Law ate about four helpings of breakfast that morning. Again, the whole crew was shocked to see that he had eaten so much more than he normally did. To him, he didn't really care if it was shocking to them or not. He needed to store some energy for the day. Eating was how you do that.

After breakfast, Law offered to help Sanji with the dishes. The cook was surprised to see how friendly he was being. But he didn't argue with him and allowed him to help. Luffy said that he was going to go find something for them to do together while he washed the dishes with Sanji. Law nodded. But he saw something in Luffy's eyes as he looked at his old friend and cook.

"I think something's up with your Captain," Law voiced his thoughts as they worked. He was helping the man set the dishes up. Sanji was washing them while Law rinsed them off and dried them.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice it when you first arrived yesterday," Sanji replied. Law looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" The cook began to wash the dishes before answering him.

"Well, did you notice that he didn't like any of us to touch or even get close to you?"

"No. I never notice him do that." Sanji handed some dishes off to him. Law rinsed them in the sink before taking a dry towel and drying them off. After that, he put them to the side to put up later.

"Well, it seems like he's jealous of anyone who gets even a little too close to you." Sanji seemed to think about something for a second. "Proximity wise." Law understood.

"Is that why he would attack anyone who went near the room I stayed in?"

"I guess so." Sanji looked to be thinking something over. "It's kind of like, he would attack anyone who came near the place you spent the most time in. Almost like he was trying to preserve the last area you were in the most."

"I see." They talked about more things. Law found out that the 'admirer' Luffy told him about was a man from an island they last visited before the one the day before yesterday. "So, he chased you all over the entire island?" he asked with amusement in his voice.

"Yes. It was extremely annoying. I tried to hide from him. It was like the man was a fucking bloodhound! He was always able to find me no matter where I went." Law laughed at hearing that. "Oh yeah, tough guy? You can't lie that you haven't been chased over an entire island by an admirer."

Law calmed his laughed down before answering him. "You're right. I can't deny that. Mainly because I have been chased over entire islands by admirers." Sanji stopped washing. It made Law turn to him. The chainsmoker was staring at him with wide eyes. "What? You told me I couldn't lie. I didn't."

"You've been chased before?"

"Of course." Law turned around and leaned his back on the sink. "Hasn't everyone on your crew been chased at least once before?"

"Yeah. But I didn't expect you to be chased. Aren't you considered 'The Surgeon of Death'?"

A chuckled escaped him. "Are you saying that you expect people to run away from me, not chase me?" Sanji looked away. "Yes, I am considered that. But I still have had both men and women chase me because they like me. I had to have Bepo accompany me to keep them away."

Sanji went back to washing and Law turned back to the sink. "What were the outcomes of those chases?"

"Are you interested in my love life, Black leg-ya?" Sanji opened his mouth to say something. Law laughed before he could say anything. "I'm just joking with you. One time, I came back to my ship with lipstick all over my face and disheveled clothes from multiple women."

"Are you a playboy?"

"Hell no. I got the lipstick all over my face from them holding me down and kissing me. The reason my clothes were messed up were from them grabbing me and me trying to get away from them." He shivered with disgust at the memories. "To be honest, it was a horrifying experience."

"I have a personal question for you," Sanji stated as he washed the last bit of dishes.

"Shoot away."

"Do you prefer women or men?" Law dried the last the dishes before placing them to the side.

"To be honest with you, I don't really care about people's gender." He shrugged. "I'm more of a personality kind of person." Sanji nodded.

"You're more of a 'people person'."

"Exactly." They put the dishes up after he was finished drying them. They talked about their preferences for their partners.

"Are you a virgin?" Sanji asked. Law gave him a shocked look. _You don't just ask someone that question out of the blue! _He couldn't believe the guy asked him that question like he was asking about the weather forecast.

"Not really. No. Depends on how you see it." It was Sanji's turn to look confused.

"What do you mean?" He blew out some smoke right after he asked the question.

"Well, I'm a virgin in one way while not in the other." The cook raised an eyebrow. "I've had sex with women. Not men." A lightbulb seemed to go off in Sanji's head. It clicked for him. Sanji nodded as they walked away from the sink.

Suddenly, Luffy burst into the room. "Torao! I found something that we can play!" Law jumped when he shouted. He wouldn't admit it, but it actually scared the shit out of him when Luffy just barged in without announcement. Then, his eyes narrowed at Sanji. "Let's go. I want to play."

Law looked between the two. _Yeah. I believe Black leg-ya's right. I think Straw Hat-ya is jealous. _"Alright. I'm coming." He walked up to Luffy and grabbed him by the arm. "Let's go. You're welcome for the help, Black leg-ya."

"Thanks. Maybe you'll help me with the dishes tonight?" Law laughed.

"Don't push your luck." That made Sanji laugh as well. With that, the two Captains left the kitchen. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked as he let Luffy's arm go. The younger one looked upset about something. "Is there something wrong?"

"What were you doing with Sanji?" That made him confused.

"Washing dishes. And talking about our adventures on other islands." Luffy didn't look convinced. It was like he was warring with himself on either trusting Law's word or not.

The kid gave him a forced smile. It unnerved Law just a little bit. "Okay." Then it turned to a genuine one. "Want to play I Spy?" he asked as they stopped near the head of the ship.

Law agreed and sat on the head of the lion. They were careful to make sure that they wouldn't fall off. It was a nice spot. Luffy never let anyone sit with him let alone let them sit on the head at all.

"Do you want to start?" Luffy asked him. Law shrugged and started.

"Alright." He looked around the ship for something to give a hint about. His eyes landed on Usopp messing with a piece of pink material. "I spy something pink." Luffy grinned as he looked around to find it.

"Is it Nami's top?" Luffy asked as he pointed to her pink bikini top.

"Nope. Try again." The other Captain huffed before scanning the area again.

"Franky's hands?"

"Try again." It was apparent that Luffy was getting frustrated that he couldn't find what Law had spotted.

To his surprise, Usopp looked to be making some sort of clothing item. Law wondered what he could be making. "Is it what Usopp's messing with?" Luffy's voice made him remember that the other was with him. The suddenness of him talking made him jump a little.

"Yes. Okay. Your turn." Luffy, excitedly, began to search around for something to spy. Law thought he was amusing to watch. The way he looked so happy and joyful made him smile.

"I spy something...blue!" Luffy said. He sounded really confident when he said it. It made him sound like a kid that just won three pounds of candy from a competition that had no competitors.

Looking around, Law scanned the ship. "Is it the ocean?" he guessed. Luffy shook his head with a big grin on his face. He decided to go again. "Is it Tony-ya's hat?"

"Nope. You're getting close, though." That confused him. _What does he mean by I'm getting close? _Law studied the ship hard, trying to find something blue. There weren't that many things on the ship that were blue.

"Is it Nico-ya's shirt?" The woman was wearing a dark blue tank top. It had a picture of a white cat on the front of it.

"No. You're really close." Law was utterly confused. He couldn't find anything else that was blue on the ship.

"Alright. I give up What did you spy?" Luffy giggled as Law turned to look at him. Luffy looked like he was enjoying his time with him.

"Your pants. They're blue." Law raised an eyebrow before looking down at his pants. _He is right. They are blue._ His pants were light blue like his normal ones, except that they had dark blue spots instead of black ones. "Alright. Your turn again."

"Let's take a break for a moment. I have to go to the restroom." Luffy, reluctantly, agreed and allowed him to get up and leave. Law thought it was strange that he had to tell him where he was going. _I guess that it's because he's so keen on being near me._

Getting up, Law, carefully, got off the head of the lion. He didn't want to accidentally slip and fall into the ocean. It was a little difficult, but he was able to get down without any incidents. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he was safely back on the deck.

He walked to the bathroom. It felt like he was being followed. It was a little strange and made him feel nervous. At the bathroom, the feeling went away when the door shut. Law peed before going to leave the room.

When he opened the door, Nami grabbed a hold of his arm and shoved him back into the room. "Nami-ya? What're you doing?" he asked as she let his arm go.

"Hiding you, remember?" Then, he remembered. Before he could say anything, she slammed her elbow onto the wall. A second later, a hidden door opened up. It was big enough to fit, at least, two people inside. "Follow the path straight and you'll come to a wall. There's a piece of the wall that can slide open. You should be able to see out of it when you open it."

"O...key." She smiled as she hustled him into the wall. "Will he be able to see me if I look out of it?"

"No. There is a one-sided panel in front of the part that Franky installed. It will hide you but allow you to see what's happening on deck." Law nodded. "I'll come to get you after two hours. Try to be as quiet as you can." He agreed. After that, Nami shut the door.

It was dark in the space. Blindly, Law felt his way forward. Soon enough, he found the wall that Nami told him would be there. Feeling around on the wall, Law, finally, found the slot that the woman had told him about.

Law slid it open and was amazed. He was able to see the entire deck. Especially Luffy. The teen looked to be waiting for him to return. It was a sad sight to see because he looked somber now that he was gone.

The good thing was that he could hear everything that was happening on the deck. _Did Robo-ya install something so I can hear no matter how far I am from him? _Usopp walked by Luffy. "Hey, Usopp." Luffy got the other man's attention.

"Yes?" The man turned to his Captain. Law couldn't see his face because he had his back to him. "What's up?"

"Do you think Torao will be back soon?" he asked him.

"I don't know. Depends. Where did he go?" Usopp sounded like he was nervous and trying not to tell him anything.

"He went to the bathroom. So, how long do you think he'll be gone?" Luffy looked like he was a depressed man. Almost like he had his favourite toy taken away from him and had no idea where it was nor how long until he got it back.

"Probably a few minutes. I really don't know." Luffy nodded before the sniper walked away from him. Law felt awful for doing something like this to him.

After about ten to twenty minutes, Luffy hopped off the lion's head and began to walk inside. "Where're you going, Luffy?" Robin asked as he passed by her.

"I'm going to see if Torao's okay. He's been gone for a while." The woman just nodded before going back to reading her book. Law already knew that they were paying close attention to him, even if it didn't seem like it.

Law could hear the younger Captain walking through the ship. His footsteps were heavy. It made him think that the other was forlorn that he didn't have the energy he normally did. It was a depressing thing to think about. It made Law want to call off the plan.

"Torao? Are you still in there?" Luffy called. Law knew that he was right outside the bathroom. To keep the plan in motion, Law didn't answer him. That seemed to confuse the other. "Torao?" He knocked on the door this time.

"Is something the matter, Luffy?" Sanji asked. Law hadn't heard him walk up to the other.

"Torao said he needed to use the bathroom," he began to explain. "I came to see if he's alright, but he won't answer me. Could something be wrong?" The guy sounded like he was on the verge of having a panic attack. "Can you open the door so I can check on him?"

"The door's locked?"

Law could hear the knob jiggle from Luffy trying to open it. "Yeah. See? I can't open it."

"Don't you think it would be rude to just walk in on him if he's still using it?" Law knew that Sanji was just trying to keep Luffy from noticing that Law was hidden. It was a good effort for him to do so for him.

"Yeah, but-"

"Plus, I don't have the key. I think Nami-san was the last one with it." Law knew that was true because Nami was the one that left the room and shut the door after she hid him. _I guess that she locked it when she left._

"I'll go ask her about it." He heard the younger one walk off from the door. Sanji left a minute or so after him.

Looking out the slot again, Law saw Luffy appear on the deck. He scanned the area before spotting the woman. The young man made a bee-line right to her. Law could still hear everything going on around him.

"Hey, Nami," he greeted her as he walked up to her.

Nami turned to him with a small smile "Hey, Luffy. Is there something you need?" It was like they were trying to be extra nice to him, trying not to upset him or anything.

"Do you have the key to the bathroom?" he asked in an emotionless voice. Law couldn't see Luffy's face, but he could see Nami's. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because Torao went to the bathroom and was gone for a while. I went to check on him. I knocked on the door and called out to him, but he didn't answer me." Nami gave him a sorrowful expression. "Sanji said that you were the last one with the key. Can I have it?"

"You mean that you want to enter the bathroom while Law is in there?"

"Yeah. What if he's hurt or something?"

"But it's still rude to walk in on someone in the bathroom," she countered. "And, to be honest, I don't remember where I put the key." Law knew that was a lie. He could hear it in her voice. Luffy didn't seem to notice it, though.

"Oh. Okay." He sounded on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry too much, Luffy. I'm sure he'll be back in a bit." She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's not like he left the ship, right? He's still here."

Luffy sighed. "I know. It's just... Nothing. I'll just wait for him." Law wondered what he had wanted to say. It sounded like he was going to confess something to her. "Let me know when you see him."

"Sure thing. What're you going to do?" the navigator asked. She put a hand on her hip.

"I'm going to go relax on the deck." Nami nodded and looked extremely guilty for the way he was acting.

Law watched Luffy go near the front of the ship and lay down. He turned away from the rest of the deck. It hurt Law to see him like that. It was almost like he was breaking down because he wasn't back yet.

After a bit, he watched Luffy's body start to shake. Law, immediately, knew that the Straw Hat Captain was crying. It hurt him even more to know that he was crying because he was gone for so long. It hurt his heart to do something like that to him.

About an hour or so later, Law was waiting for Nami to come and get him. He had watched Luffy's body shake with his crying. Then, it stopped about thirty minutes ago. Law assumed that Luffy had fallen asleep after all of his crying.

When Nami started to walk back to the bathroom, Law shut the slot back before feeling his way back to where the door was. After he arrived at the panel, he waited for Nami to open it back up.

It took her about five minutes to get back and enter the bathroom. He heard her jab the wall right before the door opened up. She was smiling, somberly, at him. "Did you guys get what you needed today?" he asked as he exited the hiding spot.

"We got some data. To confirm our suspicions, we will keep doing this for a few more days." She shrugged. "I hope he doesn't do the same thing he did today."

"I agree. It was a miserable sight to see him so upset." Nami nodded in agreement.

"You should go check on him. He hasn't moved from the same spot in over an hour." Law agreed before leaving the bathroom.

On the deck, he slowly walked over to the younger man. Law carefully sat down next to him, making sure he didn't wake him up. Looking over to him, he had been right. There were stains of tears down his face. _Poor kid. He was so dejected that he cried himself to sleep. It's so pitiful._

Placing a hand in his hair, Law felt the other press into his hand. He raked his fingers through his hair. It was calming and Luffy looked to be enjoying it even though he was asleep. The kid rubbed his head into his hand every time he ran his hand through his hair.

After about thirty minutes of him messing with Luffy's hair, Law started to fall asleep. The actions he was doing were lulling him to sleep. Then, he heard Luffy mumble something in his sleep.

Law leaned in to hear what the other had said. "Torao..." Law was shocked when he heard his nickname come from him. He stayed close to see if the other would say anything else. "Where...are...you?" he asked in a small, quiet voice.

"I'm right here," Law answered in a low voice. He was still combing through his hair. "I'm still here."

"Okay..." He curled up closer to Law's leg. His head was almost pressing into his side. "Don't...go anywhere," Luffy begged.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," Law assured him. He was still falling asleep. Law saw him smile before he fell asleep. It was nice and made him feel better.

**Hope you all like the story so far. Let me know what you think of this chapter. It took me a while to figure out what to do in this chapter. Have a blessed day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**


	5. Scars and Confrontaion

**Scars and Confrontation**

He sighed as he leaned against the railing on the ship while standing up. It was dusk and Law was tired from his day with Luffy. The kid was passed out right next to him. He had fallen asleep next to the guy before waking up not too long ago. Luffy still hadn't woken up from before.

Law was enjoying the sunset before him. Suddenly, arms wrapped around his left leg. Looking down, he found Luffy holding on, tightly, to his leg. Law just shrugged and looked back out to the sea and the sunset.

"Torao-kun..." Law turned his head to see Robin walking up to him. He nodded to her in acknowledgment. "How are you doing? I can see that Luffy's still asleep."

"I'm fine. I think he just exhausted himself earlier," Law informed her. "How is the rest of the crew?"

"We're fine." She leaned on the railing right next to him. On the side that Luffy wasn't laying on. "Sanji told me that you had an accident close to a year ago. He said that was the reason we hadn't heard anything from nor about you nor your crew for such a long time."

_I knew that he would say something to the rest of the crew. They tell each other almost everything. _"Yeah. I had an...accident. After, I broke off from my crew." He saw her face change. "Don't worry. I'm still their Captain. I just wanted some...time to myself."

Robin didn't look too convinced. "Torao-kun, I will accept your excuse. For now. But you will need to tell someone on this ship the truth at some point." Law felt confused. "You wouldn't want someone to find out the wrong way."

It felt like his blood ran cold. "I...understand." _Shit. If I even take my shirt off, they'll figure out that something's wrong. _Fear of them finding out gripped him. "I will...try...to figure out what I want to say. I will tell one of you at some point. I promise."

The woman smiled kindly at him. "When you tell one of us, you will have to accept the fact that all of us will know about it pretty soon."

He nodded. "I know. You guys don't like to keep secrets from each other. Especially if it's about a friend of yours." Robin chuckled before agreeing with him.

"Oh. Sanji wanted me to tell you that dinner will be ready very soon." She pointed to Luffy. "You'll need to wake him up when he says that it's ready." Law nodded before she walked off. He turned back to the sunset.

About thirty minutes later, Sanji announced that dinner was ready. Luffy was still snuggling up to Law's leg. He crouched down before reaching out to shake him awake. The movement didn't seem to be working with waking him up.

"Straw Hat-ya, wake up. Dinner's ready," he spoke in a loud voice. He hoped that Luffy was able to hear him.

The guy groaned before sitting up. He released his leg before rubbing his eyes. "What? What's going on?"

Law wanted to laugh at how he looked. To him, the man looked like a child that just woke up from his nap. He smiled at how cute he was. His eyes widened. _Did I just think that Straw Hat-ya's cute? _Shaking his head to clear his mind, he repeated what he had said before. "Dinner's ready. Let's go eat."

That made him perk up immediately. "Food!" he shouted before shooting up. Law didn't have time to react before his arm was grabbed and he was practically dragged to the kitchen.

Inside the room, the crew and he dug into the dinner that Sanji made. Once again, Law ate at least three helpings. The others seemed to be getting used to him eating so much. Luffy appeared to be doing better than before. Law thought it was better than his depressed self from earlier that day.

After dinner, Law was full and tired. He got up and started to go back to his room. "Torao," Luffy called to him as he showed up next to him. "Where're you going?" He walked right next to him.

"I'm going to get some clothes then go take a bath," Law informed him.

"Can I join you?"

Law's eyes widened. Panic started to grip him. "N-No. You can't." Luffy gave him a confused and concerned look.

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I just...want to bathe alone." The guy looked upset. It was as if Law had denied him a whole barrel of meat.

"Torao, is there something going on?"

"It's nothing. I...I'll bathe with you tomorrow, alright?" It was a rash decision to make, but if it kept Luffy off his back about it, he would do it.

Luffy frowned. "Okay. Can I, at least, stay in your room until you come back?" he asked, crossing his arms as they walked.

"I don't mind." The man's frown turned into a big smile. It was uplifting to see him smile. Law hated seeing him frown, get angry, or get upset. It hurt him more than it should've for some reason.

Once they were in the room, Law grabbed some clothes before leaving the room to go bathe. _I haven't done it in a few days. It's kinda gross to not bathe for so long. _He passed by the girls and nodded at them. They did the same back before going to their room.

In the bathroom, Law set his clothes down. Standing in front of the mirror, he began to slowly take his shirt off. Once it was off, he dropped the dirty shirt on the floor. For a bit, Law just stared at his chest, arms, and stomach.

"That bastard," he growled. "How the fuck could he do this to me? Loves me, my ass."

What he was talking about were the scars all across his arms, chest, and stomach. Tears of frustration gathered in his eyes but never fell. Some scars were longer than others while some had been deeper than some others. Just staring at them made him remember the excruciating pain of each and every one when they were inflicted.

After a few minutes, he had to look away. It was just too much for him to handle. Taking his pants off, Law could see the scars that were across his legs as well. All the scars he had were from Kid. That day, the man didn't spare him any mercy. He went all out on him, just because he refused him.

Taking his underwear off, Law ran a bath. When it was full, he cut it off before stepping in. Law sat down and allowed the water to cover him up to his shoulders. His energy began to be drained from him.

Sighing, he leaned back and began to think about how their 'experiment' that day. He frowned. The way Luffy reacted was devastating. "I don't know if I can continue to go through with this plan," he said aloud.

"Are you going to back out on us, Law?" Law snapped his head up to see who had come in.

He almost screamed in shock when he found Zoro standing in the middle of the doorway. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" he screamed at him. Law ducked his body further into the tub. "Why are you in here?!"

"I came to take a bath." He shrugged. "Didn't realize you were in here." Law moved away from the edge of the tub. "Is there a reason you're hiding in the water?"

"I want my privacy," Law answered. He had the water all the way up to his chin now. "I'll be done soon. Please, just...go wait somewhere else."

Zoro sighed. "Fine. I'm going." Law thanked him as he left the room. He had been shocked that the man had almost seen what he had been hiding from people for a very long time.

Finishing his bath, he quickly dried off and dressed. He had picked out a dark blue, long-sleeve shirt, solid, dark gray pants, and dark purple underwear. Law had left his shoes and stuff in his room. He didn't care to wear them around the ship.

Leaving the room, Zoro was sitting on the floor right outside the room. "Zoro-ya." The man looked up at him. "I'm done now. The bath is free for you to use." The man thanked him before entering. Law rolled his eyes as he grabbed his dirty clothes before heading back to his room.

Arriving back at his room, Law found Luffy sleeping in his bed. He didn't mind and just put his clothes on the floor near the door. Getting in the bed, he pushed Luffy a bit over because he was sprawled all over the bed.

Laying down, he began to fall asleep. He hoped that the next day wouldn't be as bad as it had been that day. It hurt him a lot to see how Luffy took his disappearance. _I really don't want to keep this up, but I promised that I would._

...

Law woke up to someone snuggling up to him. Opening his eyes, he found Luffy almost on top of him. He woke up a bit more before pushing at Luffy's face. It didn't wake him up, but it did get him off of him.

Once he was free, he sat up while scratching his head. After a moment of just sitting there, he got out of the bed and trudged to the door. He left and made his way to the kitchen. It wasn't surprising to find that nobody was walking through the halls.

In the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to find the whole crew in there. But they seemed to be waiting for him. "Good morning, Torao-kun," Robin greeted him. He sat down before laying his head on the table.

"Morning," he replied in a still slightly groggy voice.

"Law, is something wrong with you?" Nami asked.

The question made him lift his head. "No. Why do you ask?" All eight shared a look between each other.

"Zoro told us that something was up with you," Usopp voiced. Law looked to the green-haired man.

"I told you last night that I am fine. There's nothing going on." They gave him skeptical looks.

"Torao-san, if there's something wrong, we might be able to help," Brook tried to get him to listen.

Getting angry, Law stood from the table. "I'm perfectly fine!" he yelled. He knew that they meant well, but he didn't want to bother them with his problems.

"Then why were you hiding in the tub?!" Zoro hollered back at him.

Knowing he would regret it later but wanted them to get off his back and leave him alone, Law let his anger get the better of him. "Fine! You want to see that I'm fine?!" Grabbing the ends of his shirt, he ripped it off. "There! See?! I'm fine! I just wanted some Goddamn privacy! Is that too much to fucking ask for?!"

Everyone looked shocked. He huffed as he glanced around at them. Law knew what they were staring at. "L-Law, what...what happened to you?" Chopper asked. He just replaced his shirt.

"Remember when I told you that I had an accident?" They all nodded. "That's what happened." He huffed as he sat back down. "I don't like for people to see them," he confessed. He glared down at the table when he remembered the last words of the man he used to call an ally.

"Are you going to be okay?" Franky asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He remembered Luffy. "Don't tell Straw Hat-ya. I don't need him to freak out and bombard me with questions about them." The crew agreed. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

After that, they went about their day. Luffy woke up and joined him in the kitchen. Sanji cooked while Luffy and Law talked about what they were going to do that day. Sanji gave some suggestions. Luffy accepted them but Law could tell that he didn't care for his input.

"Where the fuck is that little shit?!" A roar interrupted their peaceful atmosphere. Law froze up at hearing that voice. _Oh fuck. This is not fucking happening. _"Tell me where he is!"

Getting up, Law rushed to the door before opening it. His fears had been confirmed when he saw who was on the deck of the Sunny. The ship right next to theirs was also a dead giveaway. "Why are you here?" Zoro asked. Law could tell that he was itching to draw his swords and attack him.

"Where the fuck is your poor excuse for a Captain?!" Kid shouted at him as he towered over him.

Luffy showed up right next to Law. "Get off my ship," he spoke in a cold, deadly tone. It made a shiver of fear run down his spine.

"You!" Kid shouted as he came storming up to him. "I'm here to finish what we started the other day!" He was right in Luffy's face. It was as if he hadn't noticed that Law was standing there. What shocked him was how calm Luffy was acting.

"We were done. I won. You lost. Now, get the fuck off my ship before I make you," Luffy replied in a growl.

Deciding to step in, Law got between them by standing in front of Luffy. "Get lost," he spat in his face.

Kid seemed surprised at seeing him. "Who the fuck are you? You look familiar." Law started to sweat bullets but powered through it.

"I'm a friend of the Straw Hats. Now, he sat to get off his ship." He glared at him. Law was scared to death to face-off against him again. "Get off or **I **will be the one to do so."

Something seemed to click in the younger man's mind. His eyes widened before a malicious grin spread across his face. "Law, you look different. Whatever happened to you?"

Law froze up at his question. He was beyond terrified. Kid found out who he was. "Get off my fucking ship!" Luffy shouted at him from behind Law.

The man glared at Luffy over Law's shoulder. "Shut up, fuck-face. I have a bone to pick with Law." He turned his attention back to Law. "So, have you decided on your answer to my offer?"

Swallowing a large lump in his throat, he took a deep breath before answering him. "My answer still remains as before. No. I refuse your offer."

Kid's grin quickly turned to a deep frown. "Don't you remember what my warning was when I left that day?"

"Of course, I do. I still stand, though. I will not nor never will I ever accept your offer." Kid roared before going to grab him. Law just closed his eyes.

He never felt the man touch him, though. Opening his eyes, he was shocked to find Luffy standing in front of him. He was holding Kid's hand that was balled into a fist. "Get off my ship," Luffy demanded once again. "You will not touch Torao, my crewmates, nor anything else on my ship. Ever." Law was dumbfounded at how Luffy sounded. It was as if he was a fully-grown man than his normal self. "If you so much as even look back at this ship when you're back on yours, I will throw you into the sea and sink your ship."

Luffy released his hand, still glaring at him. Kid, reluctantly, walked away from them. He turned back to look at Law one last time before getting back onto his ship. "Come on, Killer. We're leaving."

After a few minutes, Kid's ship left from next to theirs. Law was thankful for the other leaving him alone. The whole crew watched as the ship passed by theirs and got further and further away from them.

"Torao, are you okay?" Luffy asked. Law turned his attention from the ship in the distance to him.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" He raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because," Luffy pointed at him, "you're shaking."

Eyes widening, Law realized that, yes, he was still shaking where he stood. "Don't worry about it. I'll stop in a bit." Luffy, reluctantly, left the matter alone. "You said you wanted to learn how to play chess, right?" The Straw Hat Captain nodded. "Then, come on. I'll teach you how to play."

Luffy bound after him as he walked back inside. He sighed. _I hope that will be the last time I see Eustass-ya. If the other's find out... _Fear filled him at the thoughts of what the crew would do if they ever found out the truth about his scars. Especially Luffy. He was the last person he wanted to find out about what happpened between him and Kid.

**I am so happy that you all are enjoying this story. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Have a magickal day. I love you all sooo much. Tatty-bye!**


	6. Over a Game of Chess

**Over a Game of Chess**

The crew didn't hide Law that day. They had told him that Kid's actions had upset Luffy enough that day. They didn't want to make it worse on him by hiding Law. He had agreed that it wasn't a good idea to do so that day.

So, he taught Luffy how to play chess after the encounter with the other Captain. It had been a little frustrating since Luffy wasn't all that bright and didn't get it at all at first. But he was patient with him and showed him, politely, how to do it.

After a few hours, Luffy got the game down pat so they played against each other. It was fun and Law won a lot of the matches. There were a few times that Luffy got luck and one. It frustrated the other every time Law won. Luffy hated losing to others.

"Why do you hate losing so much?" Law asked him after he won against the other once again. Luffy was pouting off to the side.

"Because it means I'm weak. I'm not weak so I don't like to lose," Luffy answered. He was still upset about his latest defeat. Law thought it was funny because he was acting like a child.

Law set the board back up for another round. "It doesn't mean you're weak if you lose. It just means that you need to reevaluate your approach to the problem. Just because you lose against someone doesn't mean you need to get stronger. You just need to go at it in a different way."

"You mean like how I defeated Doflamingo?" Law was shocked to hear him ask something like that. It was not something he had been expecting the other to ask.

"What do you mean? Can you explain it to me?"

"Well, I couldn't defeat him with Second nor Third Gear. So, I used Fourth Gear." Law nodded in agreement, seeing where he was going with his explanation. "I used Kong Gun but that didn't do anything. So, I used King Kong Gun and that worked."

"I see. That is a good example," Law started. "You couldn't defeat him one way, so you tried a different approach and defeated him. It wasn't because you were weak. You just needed to attack the problem at a different angle." Luffy looked confused. Law sighed. "You do understand what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah. I do." The way he answered made him doubt that he was telling him the truth. He chose not to ask nor bother him about his answer. "So, how did you become so good at chess?"

"I played it a lot as I grew up. Along with studying to be a doctor, I learned to play chess and other logic games. They're fun and I like to compete against people." Law had played chess and checkers with his sister when they were little. He would always win against her.

Those were times he missed his sister. She would never get angry, pout, nor cry if he won. Lami would smile and laugh before suggesting playing another game. He thought that it was a good thing that she never got angry or upset because he won, and she lost.

"Where are you from? I've never heard anything about the place you're from. Was it cool? Or boring? Can we go there someday?" Law almost froze up at the questions that were thrown at him. They were innocent but he couldn't help but feel sad about remembering his hometown.

"I'm from Flevance. It was considered the White City."

"That sounds cool! Was everything white?"

"Yes. The streets, buildings, lampposts, and sculptures were all white. It was a beautiful sight if you came to visit," he said it all with a smile. "We had festivals all the time to celebrate our town. It was fun." His smile quickly disappeared as he remembered what happened to it.

"You say 'was'. What happened? Can't we go visit it?"

"No. You can't visit it," Law answered as he stared at the chessboard. "The town no longer exists. It hasn't been there for seventeen years. It was destroyed when I was ten."

"Torao, what happened? Why did it get destroyed? Is there a reason that this happened?"

"I can answer that for you if Torao-kun won't." Robin's voice made him snap his head to look at the woman. She was leaning on the doorframe to the room. They were in the library of the ship.

"You know the reason that the town no longer exists?" Law questioned her. He knew that she was always on the hunt for knowledge. There was a very big possibility that she would know the Government's side of the story. He didn't know if she knew the truth.

"There is a book about it, is there not?" Law nodded. He knew all about the book that was written about his hometown. "I have read it and heard the rumors about what happened to it."

"Tell me what you know about it."

"From the book, Flevance was a town out of a snowy fairytale. It was the most beautiful place in the world that you could visit. I would've loved to visit it." She walked in and sat down near them. "From the rumors I've heard, they said that there had been a contagious disease that spread through the town and country. It would turn your skin white and slowly kill you. Everyone in the country was said to have it."

"The Amber Lead Syndrome," Law informed her and Luffy. "It was never contagious, but everyone in the town did have it. It was a hereditary disease."

Luffy gasped. "That means you have it?"

"No. Not anymore. I cured myself of it." Robin looked interested in what he was talking about. "I was doomed to die at the age of thirteen."

"Yet, you are still here. What changed your destiny?" Robin asked. Law smiled a little.

"A friend of mine helped me with it. He gave me the devil fruit I have." He remembered the moment he got it. _Cora-san force-fed me my own devil fruit. Great way to get one. _"He told me that I would be able to cure myself with it if I ate it. He was right. I was able to get the poisonous lead out of my system before it could kill me."

Luffy was smiling at him. "That's good. You were able to help yourself."

"Yes." He looked at Robin. "What you have heard is only the things that the Government wanted the world to know," Law said to her. "They lied to the children before killing them." Luffy looked surprised, horrified, and down-right pissed off. "I am the sole survivor from the White City."

"Amazing." Robin looked even more interested. "I'm the sole survivor of my country as well," she commented. "It's fascinating to find someone that shares my experience."

"Maybe we can talk about our homes sometime. I would like to know why your country was destroyed." Law was being honest with her. He wanted to know the name of it and why the whole country was annihilated. The reason for his was already revealed. Now, he wanted to know hers.

"That would be great for storytime." She smiled at him. "Maybe later after dinner. We can tell the rest of the crew about our old homes." Law agreed that it was a good idea. He would be willing to give details about Flevance if she was willing to tell about her home country.

After their small conversation, Robin left them to get back to their game of chess. "You won't beat me this time," Luffy said with a grin.

"Oh really? You think you can beat me this time?" Law asked. He smirked at the other's confidence for their impending game.

"I know I can." He was still grinning like an idiot.

"I highly doubt it." With those last words, their hundredth game started.

It was intense because they both were trying to beat each other. It was a little stressful because Luffy had gotten pretty good at the game. Law was trying his hardest to make the right moves and watching for Luffy's moves. To him, he wanted to show the kid that he was the one that was the best at chess.

After a bit, Law grinned as he placed his king down. "Checkmate. I win." Luffy looked shocked.

"Wha...How...?" He thought that the other's expression was hilarious because of how perplexed he looked. Slowly, Luffy took on the expression of pouting again. "I can't believe you beat me again. That's unfair."

"The longer you play it, the better you'll get. It's just how practice works," Law replied as he started to put the board away. It was getting to the point that he thought that Luffy's pouting face was cute. Eyes widening, he realized what he thought. _What? He can't be cute. He's my friend and a guy. There's no way I can think he's cute. _He shook his head to get those thoughts out of it.

"Torao, what do you want to do now?"

Law looked back to him. He was relaxing on the chair. His legs were thrown over one arm while he laid over the other arm. "Why? Are you bored now?" he asked.

"Sort of. Not really. Just being with you is fun."

"How? We never really got along when I was with you and your crew." This made Law curious. "You and I always had something to argue about. Why would being around me be fun if we couldn't agree on almost everything we talked about?"

Luffy looked to be thinking about that. Law finished putting the game away before sitting back in his chair across from Luffy. The other seemed to think deeply about the question he gave him. That was new to Law. It surprised him a little bit because he was thinking about something other than food, adventure, and friendship.

"Because...Because I just like you. You're really smart like Robin but get angry like Sanji and Zoro." Luffy chuckled. "We're almost just like them."

Rolling his eyes, Law stood up and walked over to Luffy. "Not really. I know when to stop arguing and fighting and just walk away when things aren't going my way." He reached down and ruffled the other's hair. Luffy wasn't wearing his hat at the time. It was laying on the table. "They don't know when to stop bickering because they get to the point of almost destroying the ship." Luffy laughed as he pushed Law's hand away from him.

"Fine. We're more like best friends. They argue."

"Your right. We're very similar to best friends." Law had to hand it to him. He could figure some things out pretty quickly. That was a good trait for him. But he wasn't always on the right path with his guesses. This time, he was on the right path.

Luffy grinned up at him. "I like being your friend," he admitted. "You're really nice, even though you're mean most of the time." Law rolled his eyes before going to sit back down. "You just don't know how to express your feelings right."

"I can. I just don't choose to."

"Why? Wouldn't that help you with people more? Everyone seems to be scared of you or nervous." It was true. Most people either ran from him when they saw him or cowered away. It was because of his actions throughout his time as a Pirate.

"I know. It would help me with people better, but it's just how I am." He sighed. Law knew that Luffy would ask him about his personality. It was mainly due to what happened to his hometown. Not really anyone but the Government's fault. "What do you want to do now?" Law asked, changing the subject off of him.

"I don't know. Dinner will be ready later." Luffy started to lounge in the chair by kicking his feet up on the arm and leaning his head on the other. "We could go fish. Sanji said that he wanted some more fish."

"Well then, let's go. If it keeps you from looking so depressed, we'll go fishing." Luffy glared at him before it turned into a bright smile.

"Great!" He hopped off of the chair before grabbing Law by the arm. The doctor was dragged out of the room by his arm. He hoped that Luffy wouldn't rip it off his body with how much he was tugging him. The thought made him laugh to himself. Luffy would be devastated if he lost another arm.

**Hope you all like it. Let me know if you do. Are you all having a good day? If you aren't, I have a poem for you below. Try to have a great day. I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Poem**

**Instructions for a Bad Day - Shane Koyczan**

_**There will be bad days.**_

_**Be calm. Loosen your grip, opening each palm slowly now. Let go.**_

_**Be confident.**_

_**Know that now is only a moment, and that if today is as bad as it gets, understand that by tomorrow, today will have ended.**_

_**Be gracious. Accept each extended hand offered, to pull you back from the somewhere you cannot escape.**_

_**Be diligent. Scrape the gray sky clean. Realize every dark cloud is a smokescreen meant to blind us from the truth, and the truth is whether we see them or not - the sun and moon are still there and always there is light.**_

_**Be forthright. Despite your instinct to say "it's alright, I'm okay" -**_

_**Be honest. say how you feel without fear or guilt, without remorse or complexity.**_

_**Be lucid in your explanation, be sterling in your oppose.**_

_**If you think for one second no one knows what you've been going through; be accepting of the fact that you are wrong, that the long drawn and heavy breaths of despair have at times been felt by everyone - that pain is part of the human condition and that alone makes you a legion.**_

_**We hungry underdogs, we risers with dawn, we dismissers of odds, we blessers of on - we will station ourselves to the calm. We will hold ourselves to the steady, be ready player one.**_

_**Life is going to come at you armed with hard times and tough choices, your voice is your weapon, your thoughts ammunition - there are no free extra men, be aware that as the instant now passes, it exists now as then.**_

_**So be a mirror reflecting yourself back, and remembering the times when you thought all of this was too hard and you'd never make it through.**_

_**Remember the times you could have pressed quit - but you hit continue.**_

_**Be forgiving. Living with the burden of anger, is not living.**_

_**Giving your focus to wrath will leave your entire self absent of what you need. Love and hate are beasts and the one that grows is the one you feed.**_

_**Be persistent. Be the weed growing through the cracks in the cement, beautiful - because it doesn't know it's not supposed to grow there.**_

_**Be resolute. Declare what you accept as true in a way that envisions the resolve with which you accept it.**_

_**If you are having a good day, be considerate. A simple smile could be the first-aid kit that someone has been looking for.**_

_**If you believe with absolute honesty that you are doing everything you can - do more.**_

_**There will be bad days, Times when the world weighs on you for so long it leaves you looking for an easy way out.**_

_**There will be moments when the drought of joy seems unending.**_

_**Instances spent pretending that everything is alright when it clearly is not.**_

_**Check your blind spot. See that love is still there, be patient. Every nightmare has a beginning, but every bad day has an end.**_

_**Ignore what others have called you. I am calling you FRIEND.**_

_**Make us comprehend the urgency of your crisis. Silence left to its own devices, breeds silence.**_

_**So speak and be heard.**_

_**One word after the next, express yourself and put your life in the context - if you find that no one is listening, be loud.**_

_**Make noise.**_

_**Stand in poise and be open.**_

_**Hope in these situations is not enough and you will need someone to lean on. In the unlikely event that you have no one, look again. Everyone is blessed with the ability to listen. The deaf will hear you with their eyes. The blind will see you with their hands.**_

_**Let your heart fill their news-stands, Let them read all about it.**_

_**Admit to the bad days, the impossible nights.**_

_**Listen to the insights of those who have been there, but come back. They will tell you; you can stack misery, you can pack despair, you can even wear your sorrow - but come tomorrow you must change your clothes.**_

_**That when someone asks you how was your day, realize that for some of us - it's the only way we know how to say, be calm.**_

_**Loosen your grip, opening each palm, slowly now - let go.**_


End file.
